Vegan Letter Writing

Writing letters is one of the easiest things a vegan can do to make change in the world. Whether you’re writing to an activist who has been jailed for standing up for animals or the planet, or sending a scathing letter (or two, or five, or twenty) to a corporation engaged in animal-unfriendly practices, you can make a difference without even leaving your house. (That said, NARN hosts multiple monthly vegan letter writing events around Seattle, and we’d love for you to join us!). Check the NARN calendar for the next event.

Writing letters to prisoners

Since the passage of the US Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, activists and vegans speaking out on behalf of animals, people, and the planet are often targeted and imprisoned for daring to challenge the systems of oppression on which our country blithely operates. As vegans, we oppose the notion of people OR animals being locked into cages, and those of us on the outside can do a lot to support our comrades who have been jailed for their beliefs. The US prison system is a bleak, dehumanizing place, and writing letters of support to prisoners is one way to remind them that they matter, that we care, and that their sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.

Not sure what to write? Most prisoners like to hear about what their fellow activists and community members are doing in their stead. Tell stories, talk about the work you’re doing in your communities, share your favorite vegan recipes, etc. For some more suggestions and guidelines for sending letters to prisoners, check out NYC ABC’s “Write a Letter” guide.

If you attend a NARN letter writing event, we’ll have up-to-date lists of political prisoners to whom you can write. We do try to keep the page up to date. If you see errors or omissions, please contact us to let us know (info[at]narn.org)

Writing letters to politicians/corporations

If you’re not comfortable or interested in maintaining a pen pal relationship with a prisoner, you may also consider sending a letter in support of or opposition to a politician or a corporation. This type of activism can also have a major impact: with enough community support, we can change a politician’s vote or a company’s animal-unfriendly practice.

Some examples of this type of letter include writing to a large university to protest its use of animal testing on campus; writing a letter to a local politician or city council to urge them to ban animal circuses from city limits; writing a letter to a local grocery store to ask them to stop carrying foie gras; or writing a letter to a national food producer asking them to stop using palm oil in their food products.

Writing letters to the editor

Writing a letter to the editor of your local paper or a magazine is kind of like staging a one-person protest without leaving your house. You have the opportunity to express your opinion and influence the hundreds or thousands of people who read the editorial section of your paper. Typically, you are writing in response to an article (i.e. if a magazine featured something about eating a vegan diet, you can write to thank them for their coverage and gently remind their readers that veganism isn’t just about what’s on your plate, but about advocating for the animals whose lives are so carelessly used for food, clothing, and entertainment) but if you’re feeling more ambitious (or just more wordy!) you can write a pitch, asking to write an animal- or vegan-related article for the publication. Vegan and non-vegan blogs are a great place to offer your services, though local news outlets may also jump at the chance to feature the voice of a community member. You never know until you try! Make sure you keep your letters short, sweet, and to the point. Don’t forget to spell check!

You can find some tips and templates for editorial and political/corporate letter writing here. At a NARN letter writing event, we will bring some current campaigns as well as standard language you can use for these types of letters.

Current list of vegan prisoners in the US and Canada

(Last updated 5/5/16)

Walter Bond

Walter Bond (Abdul Haqq) is an imprisoned Animal Liberation Front activist who was arrested in the summer of 2010 for the “ALF Lone Wolf” arsons of a sheepskin factory in Denver, Colorado, a leather factory in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Tiburon restaurant in Sandy, Utah which sold the incredibly cruel product foie gras. He pled guilty to all three arsons as well as one count of AETA (the infamous Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act). Walter received a total prison sentence of 12 years and 3 months and is scheduled for release on April 14, 2021.

Joseph Buddenberg & Nicole Kissane

Nicole Kissane and Joseph Buddenberg were arrested and federally indicted for alleged Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 43 (a) (1), (2) (c) and (b) (3) (A). A federal grand jury indictment alleges that Nicole and Joseph conspired to release thousands of animals from fur farms and destroy breeding records in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The indictment also alleges that they caused economic damage to various retail and distribution businesses and individuals associated with the fur industry.

Marius Mason

Marius Mason is a long-time activist in the environmental and labor movements. In March 2008, he was arrested by federal authorities for charges related to two acts of property destruction that occurred in 1999 and 2000; no one was injured in either of them. He accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced on February 5, 2009 to just under 22 years. He is now serving the longest sentence of any “Green Scare” prisoner.

Brian Vaillancourt

Brian is a vegan who was arrested on February 9, 2013 in Chicago for an alleged attempted arson at a McDonalds. He is serving a 9 year sentence.

Rebecca Rubin

#98290-011
FCI Dublin
5701 8th Street
Camp Park
Dublin, CA 94568

Rebecca is serving 5 years (until 04/07/2017) for arson and conspiracy charges stemming from Earth Liberation Front actions that occurred between 1996 and 2001. She accepted a non-cooperating plea agreement.

Calendar

January2019

NARN's board of directors meets monthly to discuss our campaigns and administrative issues. Guests are welcome to attend if we have enough time on our agenda.

If you wish to have an agenda item added to the NARN Board Meeting, please email info@narn.org at least a day in advance. You can also send us a message on Facebook anytime or even the day of the meeting and we'll get back to you. All NARN Board Meetings are held in Seattle.

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 3pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by our desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join us in providing free, educational information to the public about the dangers of supporting backyard breeding practices and puppy mills, the importance of spaying and neutering pets, the time and money it takes to responsibly care for a living creature, and the positive effects of screening pet owners through application processes.

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2093159060741059/

Come join us for a delicious brunch at the fabulous Celest Cafe AND write some letters for animals.

NARN provides the stationery, pens, stamps, sample letters, and ideas for what to write -- just bring yourself. You can even bring your laptop if you'd prefer to type or email your letters!

Why letter writing? Letter writing is a simple way to make change for the animals! At our letter writing events, we write for many different reasons: opposition to the creation of new animal laboratories, support for sending animals to sanctuary, promotion of vegan events and issues through letters to the media, and raising the spirits of activists and comrades who have been jailed for their pro-animal and political actions!

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 6pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by their desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join them in providing free, educational information to the public

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/512061562622307/

The University of Washington's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will be meeting to discuss various research protocols (study designs). This is your chance to voice your opinion about the research on animals that goes on at the UW. Please come and speak for the animals!
The meetings are held at the South Campus Center; Room #342 (in between San Juan Road & Columbia Road); behind the Magnuson Health Sciences Center (1925 N.E. Pacific St) )
http://www.washington.edu/maps/

Unfortunately, they frequently re-schedule or cancel their meetings in an attempt to avoid the public, so please call the Public Affairs Office at 206-543-9180 to make sure the meeting is still happening at the given time.
You can also check out their calendar here (copy & paste link into your browser)
http://oaw.washington.edu/iacuc-meeting-schedule/

This month we will be checking out Travelers Thali House. They have tons of vegan options. See their menu here:
http://www.travelersthalihouse.com/Menu102014.html
The Social Discussion Group is a casual event. Drinkers and non-drinkers are welcome, and you don't have to be vegetarian to participate. We hope you'll join us! Questions? Contact rachel[at]narn[dot]org

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 3pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by their desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join them in providing free, educational information to the public

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/406570843449273/

La Cocina School at El Centro de la Raza will be offering a tasty Vegan Tamales Cooking Class in partnership with the Food Empowerment Project! Now is your chance to learn how to make vegan tamales from a master tamalera! The tamales are prepared in the handmade and traditional fashion using cultural ingredients. Sweet sangrias, beer and wine will also be served and is included in the ticket price.

Class will begin promptly at 10:00 AM in the kitchen at El Centro de la Raza. Classes typically take 2.5 to 3 hours long. All cooking supplies and ingredients will be provided, but please bring your own apron.

The money for the La Cocina School at El Centro de la Raza Latin Cooking Classes go to fund El Centro de la Raza's Senior programs.

For updates on this event see
https://www.facebook.com/events/2404477662895760/